Calendar 2018
The Central Council of Church Bell Ringers The format for this year’s Ringing World Calendar is a departure from our usual practice of inviting the host association of the Central Council’s AGM, to produce the images and text for the calendar. This reflects the change to the AGM which will be organised from 2018 by the Council itself. We are pleased that the Bell Restoration Committee offered to use the 2018 Calendar to showcase its valuable support work. The 2019 Calendar aims to use images submitted by ringers, but we would be pleased to hear from any other committee or organisation that might want to use this as an opportunity to publicise their activity. The Bell Restoration Committee The Committee supports both bell-ringing societies and individual parishes by providing information and advice on raising funds for bell provision, augmentation and restoration. Topics include how to establish and operate a fund, details of charitable trusts which may be able to make grants for projects, and, of course, fund-raising. We also keep ringers informed of changes in legislation which may affect a fund or fund-raising. On behalf of the Central Council, the Committee administers the Council’s Bell Restoration Fund and the Fred Dukes International Bell Fund. Day-to-Day Work Much of the Committee’s work supports individual parishes whose projects may feature not only the restoration of unringable bells but also
the augmentation of rings or chimes of one or more bells or the augmentation of existing rings of five or more bells. In a good number of cases the project leaders are nonringers who have little idea of bellringing or the benefits of a ring of bells and a band of ringers. We are able to offer help by suggesting ways to get a project started and launched, how to bank the money or register the fund as a charity, and how to raise money in a host of different ways. We discuss how to involve the local community in a project and we promote the use of Gift Aid and other tax-efficient ways of giving. Those parishes which contact us receive a Fund-Raising Pack and ongoing support throughout their project. We offer to visit a parish in order to get a fund-raising group started and we are able to lend examples of Appeal Leaflets from other parishes as well as videos. From time to time we put fund-raisers in touch with other successful fund-raisers elsewhere. Occasionally we meet groups of fund-raisers from a number of parishes and share ideas. Most of the towers featured in this calendar have benefitted from the Committee’s fund-raising advice. The Committee is building its own database of charitable trusts which may be able to make grants for projects.
The Central Council Bell Restoration Fund Administered by the Bell Restoration Committee, the Fund’s income is derived from donations, legacies, sales and interest. We are grateful for the generous support that the Fund has received in the past and we invite further support. Of the towers featured in the calendar, grants were made to Combe Raleigh Ewhurst Liddington Marden (pictured above) Ruthin St Veep Stockton Heath Taunton, St Mary Magdalene (pictured left) Westminster, St Stephen Wortley The Fred E Dukes International Bell Fund This Fund’s income comes from the interest received on a legacy from the late Fred Dukes, a prominent ringer from the Irish Republic. Grants are available only to overseas churches and are restricted to works carried out by the main UK bell founders. A grant was made to Katoomba, New South Wales. Committee Membership The present membership of the Bell Restoration Committee is: Peter Wilkinson (Chairman), Jay Bunyan (Secretary), Pat Albon, John Barnes (Parish Contact), Ken Davenport, Graham Hills, Peter Kirby and Ian Oram.
EWHURST, Surrey St Peter and St Paul 8 Bells, Tenor 11-2-8 in G# The church, built of local sandstone on a cruciform plan with a central tower, sits atop a small outcrop overlooking the village, surrounded by the rolling landscape of the Surrey hills. The oldest part dates from around 1140, but most of the church was rebuilt in 1839 following the collapse of the tower. Bells 5 and 6 are among the oldest ringing bells in Surrey, having being cast at the Wokingham Foundry in the 15th century, and bells 7 and 8 were cast by Thomas Eldridge of Chertsey in 1671. In 1938 the treble and 2nd of the former ring of six were scrapped and were replaced by the present bells 1 to 4, and all were rehung in a new metal frame by John Taylor and Co. There is currently a very active local band, most of whom are relatively new to ringing. The current restoration project involves replacing bells 5 and 6 with two new bells, as the old bells are rather out of tune and cannot be tuned further, and rehanging the other bells with new or refurbished fittings. The headstocks on bells 7 and 8, which loop over the canons and make the bells rather slow-turning, will be replaced by the more conventional type of canon-retaining headstocks. The old 6th will be hung alongside the bell-frame for chiming as a service bell and the old 5th will be hung for display purposes in the ringing chamber. With the help of grants from the Central Council Bell Restoration Fund and the Guildford Diocesan Guild, it is hope that this work will be undertaken early in 2018.
December 2017 M T W T F S S 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31
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January Tuesday
Bank Holiday
February M T W T F S S 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28
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Bank Holiday (Scotland)
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Epiphany
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KATOOMBA, New South Wales St Hilda 6 Bells, Tenor 5-3-13 in B Katoomba is located in the centre of the Blue Mountains at an altitude of 1017 metres. It enjoys a cooler climate and beautiful scenery. The tower contains a ring of six Taylor bells and the original Danks service bell, approximately 4 cwt. The bells were first rung on Christmas Eve 2016. The bells, frame and fittings were paid for by the bellringing fraternity from both the UK and Australia and installed by volunteers. This is just one example of valued help given to Australian bell projects by the Fred Dukes Fund.
January M T W T F S S 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31
Monday
March M T W T F S S 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31
February Tuesday
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Sunday
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Shrove Tuesday Ash Wednesday
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ST VEEP, Cornwall St Ciricius and St Julietta 6 Bells, Tenor 7-3-20 in G The church of St Veep dates back to 1236. The bells were dedicated to St Veep on 16th June 1770. They are hung in the ancient tower standing at 57ft high with walls of 6ft in width. They were cast by Penningtons in the field opposite the church, and when cast Pennington declared that they were a perfect peal of six virgin bells. As in so many West Country churches, St Veep required a complete refurbishment of the bells and The Central Council for Church Bellringers are pleased that they were able to support this venture financially.
February M T W T F S S 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28
Monday
April M T W T F S S 30 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29
March Tuesday
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Sunday
St David’s Day
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St Patrick’s Day
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Palm Sunday National 12-bell Striking British Summer Time begins Contest Eliminators
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22 Maundy Thursday
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Good Friday
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COMBE RALEIGH, Devon St Nicholas 6 Bells, Tenor 5-2-19 in B The 1553 inventory of church property lists St Nicholas as having three bells; two have since been recast. The oldest, cast c.1430, bears a Latin inscription translated as ‘the people rejoice when they hear little me’ and is still in use. In 1900 the bells were rehung in a new oak frame. The bells fell out of use around 1960 except for rare occasions when visiting ringers came. In 2009 three members of the PCC and one husband decided the bells should be rung and set out to learn the art. Others joined, and today we have 11 ringers, from age 15 to 78, the majority being new ringers. With the enthusiastic backing of the Vicar and PCC it was proposed to augment the ring to six. The Keltek Trust was instrumental in locating three suitable bells. Generous grants from the Devon Church Bell Restoration Fund, the Central Council Bell Restoration Committee, the Keltek Trust and others, plus some imaginative fund-raising, made the Restoration and Augmentation possible. The result is a light easy-going six rung by a keen new band.
March M T W T F S S 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31
Monday
May M T W T F S S 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31
April Tuesday
Wednesday
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Saturday
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Easter
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Easter Monday
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St George’s Day
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WORTLEY, South Yorkshire St Leonard 8 Bells, Tenor 11-2-5 in G The first definite date of a church in Wortley is 1318, but it is believed that a small church existed in the previous century. William Calthorne received 47s 6d (£2.37) as the first Chaplain to hold divine service in the Chapel of Wortley. It is believed that the reference to ‘Chapel’ means that the Church was in an outlying area of the Parish of Tankersley and it was not until 1746 that Wortley became a Perpetual Curacy and a Parish in its own right. The bells are an octave cast by John Warner and Sons in 1893 and hang in a wooden frame installed at the same time. They were a gift from Mary Caroline, the Marchioness of Drogheda who was the sister of the first Earl of Wharncliffe, and replaced a single bell by cast by W&T Houlden in 1751. They were a popular peal tower with over 50 peals being rung in the first 12 years following installation. Some remedial work was undertaken in the 1980s when the condition of the 7th and 8th deteriorated but it wasn’t until 2016 when a full overhaul which included new clappers, bearings, sliders and pulleys was carried out thus restoring this popular octave to an excellent condition. Photographer: Peter W McCoy
April M T W T F S S 30 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29
Monday
June M T W T F S S 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30
May Tuesday
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Thursday
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Saturday
Sunday
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Early Spring Bank Holiday
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Ascension Day
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Pentecost (Whit Sunday)
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Trinity Sunday Ringing World AGM Central Council meeting in Lancaster
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Late Spring Bank Holiday Central Council meeting in Lancaster
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Corpus Christi
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BLACK BOURTON, Oxfordshire St Mary the Virgin 5 Bells, Tenor 7-0-0 in Bb The church dates from the 12th century. A tower was added during the the 15th century by fitting it into the nave, making the layout quite unusual. Originally the tower contained three bells and a sanctus bell in an oak frame that was made in the late Middle Ages. Two trebles were added in 1866. The sanctus bell was transferred to St John’s Church in nearby Carterton in 1966. The bells have been unringable for a number of years now, possibly since the Second
World War. A survey on unringable bells that was undertaken on behalf of the Oxford Diocesan Guild in the mid-1960s included Black Bourton, and at that time the bells were in no state to be rung. Enquiries to find out when Black Bourton’s bells were last rung have so far been unsuccessful. The bells, which have now been dismantled and transported to Taylor’s of Loughborough (March 28th, 2017), are quite a mixture: Treble: 3 cwt 11 lb Mears & Stainbank 1866, Second: 3 cwt 1 qr 11 lb Mears & Stainbank 1866, Third: 4 cwt Henry Bagley 1743, Fourth: 5 cwt Henry Knight 1618, Tenor: 7 cwt Henry Knight 1619. In the autumn of 2017 the bells will be a peal of six in a new metal frame and will sound out over a village that has long been denied hearing its bells.
May M T W T F S S 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31
Monday
July M T W T F S S 30 31 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29
June Tuesday
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Saturday
Sunday
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National 12-bell Striking Contest Final – Cambridge
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RUTHIN, Denbighshire St Peter 8 Bells, Tenor 16-3-4 in E The Welsh market town of Ruthin sits in the Vale of Clywd, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The spire of St Peter`s Church, originally founded in 1310, dominates the town and is a landmark visible for miles around. The earliest reference to bells is in 1683 when the “Greate Bell” was cast. By 1788 it is known that six bells existed but these were replaced by a completely new ring cast by Taylor’s of Loughborough in 1843 making them one of the first complete rings to emanate from Taylor’s first foundry in Loughborough. In 1889 they were augmented to eight with two trebles cast by Barwells of Birmingham. This ring was rung regularly until 1977 when the fifth bell cracked through misuse of a chiming hammer. At the same time concerns were raised about the stability of the two tier wooden frame and the tower, and all ringing ceased. Local interest in the bells was rekindled in 2013 and following reports from a firm of structural engineers and a firm of bell hangers it was agreed that it was safe to allow occasional ringing by bands of experienced ringers. Since that date the bells have been rung by members of The North Wales Association for weddings and other special occasions. An appeal has now been launched to fully restore the bells. The fifth will be repaired by welding and the whole ring will be rehung in a new frame with new fittings lower in the tower.
June M T W T F S S 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30
Monday
August M T W T F S S 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31
July Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
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Ringing World National Youth Contest – Southwark
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MARDEN, Herefordshire St Mary the Virgin 6 Bells, Tenor 12-1-16 in F# Marden church is a Grade 1 listed building in a peaceful location on the bank of the River Lugg. It owes its existence to an episode in 794AD when the young King Ethelbert of the East Angles was murdered on the orders of King Offa of Mercia and his headless body dumped on the bank of the river. On the spot where Ethelbert’s body lay, a miraculous spring of water arose. Offa, full of remorse, petitioned the Pope for advice. The Pope decreed that, amongst other things, he should build a place of Christian worship over the site of the well. The present church is not the original. The well still exists in the vestry and remains a focus of interest to visitors. The tower was built around 1330 and houses a peal of six bells. Structural defects confirmed by specialists in 2006 signalled the departure of the ringing band. In December 2015 work began on the restoration of the tower and bells. This was finally completed in November 2016. A new band has been trained and rings regularly. The tower is now open daily to visitors.
July M T W T F S S 30 31 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29
Monday
September M T W T F S S 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30
August Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
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Summer Bank Holiday (Scotland)
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August Bank Holiday
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TAUNTON, Somerset St Mary Magdalene During 2016 the 15 old bells (tenor 29.5 cwt) were removed from St Mary’s Taunton, the tallest parish church tower in Somerset and one where the unmatched bells, long draught and tower movement made for a difficult and unrewarding ringing experience. A completely new ring of 13 bells (tenor 27.5 cwt) plus 2 chime bells was cast by John Taylor and Co in Loughborough and installed just before Christmas. The musical chime rang out on Christmas Day morning 2016 and the bells were dedicated by the Right Reverend Peter Hancock (B & W) on 19th March 2017.
August M T W T F S S 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31
Monday
October M T W T F S S 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31
September Tuesday
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Sunday
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WESTMINSTER, Greater London St Stephen 8 Bells, Tenor 23-0-0 in C# The church of St Stephen’s Rochester Row, Westminster, was consecrated in 1850, its tower containing a fine ring of eight bells, tenor 24 cwt, cast by Charles and George Mears at the Whitechapel Bell Foundry. 150 years later, the fittings (including the original wooden frame) were in a poor condition, and when the seventh was declared unringable in 2013, an appeal was launched to raise the £250,000 necessary to remove the bells from the tower for an industrial clean, before rehanging them in a modern steel frame with new wheels and fittings. The work was carried out by Taylor’s of Loughborough, assisted by a large and enthusiastic pool of local ringers. Because the church organ is located in the lower part of the tower, it was necessary to remove the bells via the louvres and lower them down the outside of the tower, which added significantly to the cost of the project. In April 2016, three years after the appeal was launched, the bells were rededicated at a service led by the Bishop of London, Richard Chartres, who was the vicar of St Stephen’s from 1984-1992. The bells are rung every Sunday by the local band. Photographers: Steve Atkinson and Richard Hobbs
September M T W T F S S 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30
Monday
November M T W T F S S 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30
October Tuesday
Wednesday
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Sunday
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British Summer Time ends
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All Hallows’ Eve
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BARNHAM BROOM, Norfolk St Peter and St Paul 5 Bells, Tenor 5 cwt in G# The church is 700 years old. The first Vicar, Ralf Bacon, is recorded as taking office on 23rd May, 1329. There was an earlier church on the site, and its foundations can still be seen in the north graveyard. There is a fine set of medieval paintings on the chancel screen. These colourful images were painted in about 1430, and depict saints, kings and women of distinction. It is interesting to note that men and women are included in equal number. The church history boasts proudly of a pair of medieval bells that have rung over centuries, dating from about 1470. These were the first of five bells hung in the west tower. The largest, from 1730, was hung to commemorate the birth of a living child to a churchwarden and his wife, after their previous five children had died. The church contains memorials to the dead of the two world wars. The village community joined together with the congregation to commemorate the service of their war heroes by raising money to ring the bells again in 2018, one hundred years after the end of the First World War.
October M T W T F S S 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31
Monday
December M T W T F S S 31 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30
November Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
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All Saints’ Day
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All Souls’ Day
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Remembrance Day
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St Andrew’s Day Bank Holiday (Scotland)
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LIDDINGTON, Wiltshire All Saints 6 Bells, Tenor 8-2-11 in A Liddington, Wiltshire, is situated on the ancient Ridgeway track at the edge of the North Wessex Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. In 1948 Gillett & Johnston declared the anti-clockwise five bells dating from 1663 unringable, and in the period up to 2014, a great deal of time and money was spent on professional advice to establish which restoration scheme was best. Eventually, it was agreed that the old bells and frame would be left in place for the historical interest of future generations, and install a new peal of six bells below the existing bells. John Taylor & Co were awarded the contract for the preservation of the old bells, a ring of six, and associated building work. Work started on major repairs to the church tower and roof in September 2015. The new bells were cast in May 2016, with installation taking place in July 2016. The dedication service followed on 29th October 2016.
November M T W T F S S 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30
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January 2019 M T W T F S S 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31
December Tuesday
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New Year’s Eve Advent Sunday
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18 Christmas Day
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Boxing Day
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Subscriptions
2019 Calendar
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We are calling for your own photographs for next year’s calendar. We are keen to use images you have taken, especially your favourite shots, together with a brief story about why you like them, how you came to be there and the location. We are particularly keen on photos that engage us all about bells in their setting – not only views of towers but also their wider context and story. The photographs need to be a minimum resolution of 300 dpi and in TIFF format, or in high resolution JPEG of at least 4MB. As the calendar is in landscape format, please submit a selection of portrait and landscape photographs, or if one image please make it landscape. The images need to be bright and colourful, with plenty of light if they are interior shots. Images need to be accompanied by a short text of 100 to 150 words.
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